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Post by Joe M on Aug 29, 2018 14:55:33 GMT -5
I don't wish to be disrespectful, but the self styled experts who claim there are no small light brown hummingbirds in North America are quite mistaken. We have a plentiful community of them in our suburban yard outside Council Bluffs, Iowa. They are amazing beautiful little creatures who love to visit our feeder and nearby flowers, both red and blue. They frequently appear two at a time and are active from early morning to evening, and throughout the day. They have been entertaining us for much of the summer and much to our joy we have recently seen even smaller juveniles which I assume are recently fledged. These recent arrivals are not much bigger than August grass hoppers. Not only do they frequent our feeder, but often perch briefly on adjacent tiki torch giving prefect up close (5 - 8 feet) viewing opportunites. They definitely are solid light brown with no hint of other colors, though possibly a slightly lighter shade on their breast. Their coloration does not match photos of any hummingbirds I have been able to find anywhere. New species? Perhaps, but definitely very real delicate little birds and not moths! Your not being disrespectful Dleu, but their are regional differences in the species that normally can be expected. We are a FL site and in the summer months (May-Aug) it's unusual, approaching rare, for a solid brown/brownish hummer to be found in FL. In Iowa its certainly common to see Rufous-hummingbirds but not here in FL. During the winter here we see Allen/Rufous as well as another 7-8 western species but they are pretty rare and local. A Sep.-Feb. report of a brown/brownish hummer would not be discounted as being erroneous out of hand, but addition information would be requested. Its a notable observation but not common. Let me know when you see a Male adult Rufous they are not all brown! Pretty spectacular gorget to say he least!
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zeta7
New Member
Posts: 40
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Post by zeta7 on Jan 25, 2019 18:25:40 GMT -5
Trolls everywhere........needs to be deleted. Wheres the mods?
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Post by Joe M on Jan 26, 2019 17:35:58 GMT -5
Trolls everywhere........needs to be deleted. Wheres the mods? We are still lurking!! Deleted and banned!
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Post by Bob Lucas on May 28, 2019 13:47:59 GMT -5
I came to this site seeking "Brown Hummingbirds" as I'd seem only here in the Hudson Valley near Massachusetts, and thought these birds were characterized by bright or iridescent colors. I watched for about ten minutes a decidedly brown bird with a long beak that had hovered outside a window over tiny, non red or blue flowers, apparently seeking or drinking nectar. I thought the prospect of a drink would be small, but the bird moved from bloom to bloom, and then settled on a stem, apparently not seeing my face, as I was partly hidden behind a drapery. I sat for awhile, turning its head left and right, flapping its wings at times, quite comfortable. Unfortunately the area was shaded, on this very cloudy day, so I could not see any reflective colors on its head or back. The entire bird seemed like a dull, dark (not light) brown. It was no moth, but a very small bird with a bill as long as its body. Is it a rare bird in the US as others questioned, and is it known to at least visit these parts on May 28, 2019?
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Post by Bob Lucas on May 28, 2019 13:53:26 GMT -5
Damn. No matter rereading the writing: ". . .I'd seen only one". . ., "It sat for awhile. . ." Sorry.
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Post by kims32 on Jun 16, 2019 19:51:01 GMT -5
What I am seeing at dusk is no moth. I live in okeechobee. Elongated and curved break. Additionally the bird buzzes my head curiously and its wings do make sound. IT also chirps. The bird is no larger than 25mm, medium brown with the above mentioned features. Definitely not a moth.
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ana
New Member
Posts: 15
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Post by ana on Jun 17, 2019 9:39:40 GMT -5
I wasn't there to see when you saw, I live in Pompano Beach so way south from you.
However the smallest hummingbird is over 50mm so you can understand how people may question the validity of actually being a hummer. I think when it comes to colors there may be more room for interpretation since colors can be seen different depending of the type and angle of light at the time of being observed.
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Post by Joe M on Jul 13, 2019 13:36:51 GMT -5
What I am seeing at dusk is no moth. I live in okeechobee. Elongated and curved break. Additionally the bird buzzes my head curiously and its wings do make sound. IT also chirps. The bird is no larger than 25mm, medium brown with the above mentioned features. Definitely not a moth. This information is definitive as to the smallest hummingbirds, amongst those ever studied and known to exist. Little doubt that fishermen tend to exaggerate the size of the "one that got away" and hummingbird observers tend to exaggerate the small size of these small birds! No harm no foul here! FYI: The Bee hummingbird is the smallest living bird.[2] Females weigh 2.6 g (0.092 oz.) and are 6.1 cm (2.4 in) long, and are slightly larger than males, with an average weight of 1.95 g (0.069 oz.) and length of 5.5 cm (2.2 in). As its name suggests, it is scarcely larger than a bee. Like all hummingbirds, it is a swift, strong flier. FYI: Re. Calliope Hummingbird - This is the smallest breeding bird found in Canada and the United States. The only smaller species ever found in the U.S. is the bumblebee hummingbird, an accidental vagrant from Mexico. An adult calliope hummingbird can measure 7–10 cm (2.8–3.9 in) in length, span 11 cm (4.3 in) across the wings and weigh 2 to 3 g (0.071 to 0.106 oz.). Whenever in doubt try to take a look in a field guide or take advantage of a web search to validate your observation. Cheers....
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Post by RachelMoon123 on Oct 5, 2020 19:13:07 GMT -5
I’VE BEEN SEEING THEM BEHIND MY APARTMENT!! I live in Gainesville, Florida and I just found this post by typing “tiny brown hummingbird Florida” on google and it led me to your search. I’ve never seen these before in my life but for the past week I’ve seen them several times when walking my dog behind my apartment just before sunset. They definitely are not moths? >.< I have perfect vision and could see them in great detail, they are just over an inch long from head to tail. They’re so cute!! I took a video of it but they’re so small it’s hard to see. You can definitely tell they are hummingbirds by the video just by how the move and fly, hovering, but you can’t see them as well as my human eyes could of course. Anyone know a way I can share this video here?
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Post by WayneBattle on Sept 25, 2021 18:15:30 GMT -5
I've been seeing these "small brown hummingbirds" at dusk on plumbago bushes. Probably 5-10 of these little "hummingbirds". Based on all of these people saying they were moths, I wanted to prove them wrong. I couldn't help myself and got a large net and eventually caught one, these guys are fast, fast, fast...they are absolutely moths.....when they are flying, they are 100% via my eyes a hummingbird, beak, body, wings, flying motion, no doubt a "hummingbird", I would bet all the money in the world on it. But when they stop, they are unbelievably a moth. I have a new favorite insect and a fun viewing of my bushes at dusk now...love these little guys.
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Post by Kat bird on Sept 20, 2022 19:34:18 GMT -5
Are the small browns hummingbirds??? I just saw this special little bird today! He was alone and hovered over flowers just like other HBs. When I looked into the species, he looked like Inca HB. Wiki said their home is S. America, but I’ve traveled far & seen much and agree with other commentors here - never say never. 😊♥️
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Post by Joe M on Oct 1, 2022 8:18:56 GMT -5
Are the small browns hummingbirds??? I just saw this special little bird today! He was alone and hovered over flowers just like other HBs. When I looked into the species, he looked like Inca HB. Wiki said their home is S. America, but I’ve traveled far & seen much and agree with other commentors here - never say never. 😊♥️ Our Ruby-throated are about a max 3 1/2" bird the Inca HB species are all a min of 3 1/2" to 5 1/2". This would rule out the Inca as a possibility?
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